Blog Stage - Acting in Film, TV, Theatre - Backstage

Leading Ladies Dress Down for Awards Season?

This award season’s unexpected hit, “Precious,” stormed into theaters last weekend. The critically acclaimed film tells the story of an obese illiterate teenager in 1980s Harlem. But it also features the usually glamorous Mariah Carey, known for her sometimes elegant and often daring red carpet ensembles, as a pale-faced plain-Jane social worker, a role which has been critically praised. (Could this possibly make up for the slamming she received after "Glitter?") Carey is not the first red carpet bombshell to dress down to impress, in what CNN calls the “take-me-seriously” effect.

Elizabeth Taylor can be credited with starting this trend in the ’60s, when she gained thirty pounds for the film “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” The role ended up earning the actress her second Best Actress Oscar. But Ms. Taylor is not the only one to walk home with a little golden man after piling on the pounds, taking off the makeup, and flattening the hair.

'Batman' and 'Spider-Man' Villain Casting Rumors

MTV's Splash Page reports that in an interview with MTV News, comedian Dane Cook revealed that he wants to play supervillain The Riddler in the next Batman film.

"I love the new Dark Knight series and Batman Begins," Cook told MTV News. "If they brought back The Riddler -- a new Riddler the way they did with The Joker -- that would be bad-ass. I would do that."

So, Cook's "original" idea is to play a comic book character that another, funnier comedian (Jim Carrey) has already played, in a style that another, better actor (Heath Ledger) has already played it? We can't believe this guy gets accused of stealing jokes from other comedians...

In other potential supervillain casting news, Rachel McAdams is apparently being considered for a role in Spider-Man 4. Mania.com reports that McAdams (Wedding Crashers, The Notebook) met with producers and "is said to be a top contender for the role of Felicia Hardy, known to comic fans as The Black Cat."

Guillermo Del Toro Casts Himself in 'The Hobbit'?

While promoting his new film The Strain, director Guillermo Del Toro has revealed that he will play a small onscreen role in his upcoming film adaptation of The Hobbit. Del Toro will reportedly play a "small monster" in the Lord of the Rings prequel.

/Film reports: "Speaking in an interview on German television, Del Toro said the creature he will play himself is 'not an important one, just a background guy'." Watch the video interview below:

Del Toro later confirmed the details in a post on TheOneRing.net message boards:

I had a hand on the design of the creature and I will personally sculpt the appliances that will be applied on my face and hands. I used to sculpt the creatures for NECROPIA (my FX company) and I miss it a bit. I will have a line or two and die quickly.

Need a Daily FIX? Share It and Meet Olivia Wilde

Everyone has something they just can't live without, right? For some, it might be a morning cup of coffee or a trip to the gym, and for others, maybe something more dangerous.

In the case of young Leo Ruspoli, his insatiable need to live life on the edge nearly landed him in prison. Leo's brother Tao explores this recklessness in his first narrative feature film "FIX," which tells the story of the day he had to scrape together $5,000 by 8 p.m. in order to check his brother into rehab to avoid three years in prison. Tao's real-life wife, actress Olivia Wilde, stars along with newcomer Shawn Andrews as Leo.

In advance of the movie's November 14th premiere in New York City, the makers of "FIX" are asking you to make a short video describing your daily fix, with some pretty snazzy prizes up for grabs. As Ruspoli describes in the video below, the fix can be something as benign-seeming as playing the flamenco guitar (as in his case).

First place wins you two round-trip tickets to the film's premiere, two nights hotel stay in New York, a walk on the red carpet with Olivia Wilde and the director, a chance to screen your video at the premiere, and a digital camera or iPod. Second and third place also feature some lovely rewards, as outlined on the contest's website. The contest runs now through November 10th.

--Jessica Jardine

Ricky Gervais to Liven Up the Golden Globes

He's about as big a celebrity as one can be back in the U.K. but comedian/actor/writer/director Ricky Gervais has yet to make the same kind of impact in the states, even while the remake of his show, "The Office," remains a pop culture phenomenon. Fans of Gervais can rejoice today since news broke that he'll be hosting the 67th Annual Golden Globes on January 17.

The telecast is often a favorite for viewers thanks to the intimate Beverly Hill hotel setting and flowing champagne at the cozy tables, oftentimes leading to an especially verbose and giddy crowd. Just last year, Gervais proved his ability to wrangle the rowdy Globes attendees while presenting, going on to poke fun at the fact he wasn't up for an award by saying, "I can't believe I'm not nominated. What a waste of a campaign. Today is the last time I have sex with 200 middle-age journalists. It was horrible. Really. A lot of them didn't even speak English. Europeans with wispy beards. The men were worse."

Scary Movies

This past weekend witnessed the opening of "new" horror/thriller The Stepfather, a remake of the 1987 cult film of the same name. Many of the movie's reviews have since dismissed it as "forgettable" or "unnecessary," and, perhaps most pointedly, "[setting] the bar for pointlessness." Which brings me to my question: has anyone else noticed Hollywood's recent rash of uninspired horror remakes, reboots, and revamps?

Lars Von Trier Gets a Tad Annoyed if You Talk During Movies

Occupations - short film by Lars von Trier
by vahea

Most of us get annoyed when that couple sitting next to us at the movies just wont stop talking, or that man behind us wont stop crunching his popcorn and slurping his soda just as Prince Charming is about to sweep the damsel in distress off her feet. Danish filmmaker Lars Von Trier (“Dogville”) apparently takes his movie viewing a little more seriously, as shown in this short. (Not that we should be surprised. As a master of death and misery, Von Trier’s latest film, “Antichrist,” is abundant with ghastly logic, moral decay, and graphic extremism.)

-Alexa Trummer

Savannah Film Festival to Open Oct. 31

The 12th Annual Savannah Film Festival will kick off October 31st at the Savannah College of Art and Design with a red carpet event and continue through November 7th.

Featured screenings will include “Precious,” which won the Grand-Jury Prize at Sundance and the Audience Award at the Toronto Film Festival, “The Young Victoria,” and the North American premiere of “The City of Your Final Destination.” Honored guests Emmy Rossum, Patricia Clarkson, and Jeremy Renner will accompany their respective films, “Dare,” Woody Allen’s “Whatever Works,” and “The Hurt Locker.” Woody Harrelson and Ben Foster are also scheduled to attend for starring in Oren Moverman’s “The Messenger.”

Grant Heslov’s “The Men Who Stare at Goats” starring George Clooney, Ewan McGregor, and Kevin Spacey will be shown prior to its November 6th release date.

Traditionally, the festival highlights both professionals and up-and-coming filmmakers. Namely, SCAD students have the opportunity to showcase their films during the festival. Students also had the opportunity to enter a bumper contest with a 20 to 60 second piece themed “celebration of the art of cinema” to open festival films. A popular vote on the bumpers is in progress.

For more information and a schedule of film screenings, visit the Savannah Film Festival website.  

-- Alexis Brown 

Top 10 Actors Under 30?

Awards-season blog InContention.com has ranked the "Top 10 Actors Under 30," and its an interesting -- if incomplete -- list. Guy Lodge write in "The Lists: Top 10 actors under 30":

With the teen-driven narratives of “An Education” and “Precious” heading for theaters soon, and with the youth romance of “Bright Star” currently pleasing older arthouse audiences, it seemed an apt moment to celebrate the new guard by ranking the finest talent that the born-after-1980 generation has to offer.

Some of the actors are exactly the type of buzzed-about-for-years 20-somethings you'd expect (Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Rebecca Hall, Ryan Gosling), while others have just had a big year that may signify greater things to come (Abbie Cornish, Carey Mulligan). Check out the full list at InContention.com.

We don't necessarily agree with Michelle Williams being named #1, but the most surprising part of this list, of course, is who Lodge left out. No Ben Whishaw or Ben Foster? No Anne Hathaway or Shia LaBeouf? No Channing Tatum or Amanda Seyfried? No Jesse Eisenberg, Emile Hirsch, or Paul Dano? We know its a Top 10 list and not Top 50, but what gives?

Which Rusty Will Star in New 'Vacation' Sequel?

New Line is developing another follow-up to the 1983 comedy classic National Lampoon's Vacation and its sequels. The film is in the early stages of development but will reportedly focus on Rusty Griswold (the son of original Vacation protagonist Clark Griswold) who is now a father himself and takes his own family on a road trip vacation. 

The original Vacation films starred Chevy Chase as Clark Griswold and Beverly D’Angelo as his wife Ellen, who repeatedly tried -- and failed -- to take their family on the vacation of a lifetime. The characters in the sequel will acknowledge the first family vacation (to Disney stand-in Wally World), and Chase and D'Angelo will reportedly "have room to make appearances as grandparents," although no deals are yet in place.

But our biggest casting question has nothing to do with Chase or D'Angelo: Who will play Rusty? Original Vacation Rusty Anthony Michael Hall is certainly old enough to be a believable dad by now -- but is he still funny enough to star in a comedy? Johnny Galecki was pretty forgettable as Rusty in Christmas Vacation, but now headlines the hit CBS sitcom The Big Bang Theory. Yet our favorite remains Ethan Embry, who took over the role as teenage Rusty - aka "Mr. Pappagiorgio" -- in Vegas Vacation.

But what do you think? (Of course, the studio will probably cast somebody newer, funnier, and more successful, so this debate will all be moot.)

-- Daniel Lehman